What Is A BIPAP Machine
BiPAP references Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure. It is a breathing device that assists sleep apnea suffers inhale more air into their lungs. Created in the 1990s, it ascended from the C-PAP, which is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. In the 1980s, people used C-PAPs to help counter breathing difficulties such as sleep apnea.
Central sleep apnea is a problem in which one’s upper airway collapses, causing breathing to cease irregularly. Sleep apnea patients commonly wake all of a sudden with a huge rousing snore. Their quality of sleep is poor and can lead to mental problems such as depression and lack of concentration. The physical health of the sufferer can also deteriorate.
With the invention of BiPAP, air delivered into a Bipap mask can be set at one pressure for inhaling and another for exhaling. This makes the BiPAP mask much easier for sufferers to adjust to and also allows neuromuscular disease sufferers to use the device. Because of these dual settings, the BiPAP mask and Bipap machine allows people to get more air in and out of the lungs without the natural muscular effort needed to do so.
BiPAP has been found to be especially useful for people with congestive heart failure and lung disorders, especially people that result in above regular levels of carbon dioxide. Also, people for whom intubation is not possible can gain from the breathing help from BiPAP.
There are several tests a doctor can issue to find out if a BiPAP would be appropriate if you are a sufferer of sleep apnea. One is a respiratory test, which involves breathing into a machine to measure your lung capacity. The Forced Vital Capacity test is another important test; it essentially tests how deep a breath you can take. Although, these tests will not diagnose if you have sleep apnea, which is usually diagnosed with the help of sleep studies.
A BiPAP machine may cost between 2000 and 3000 US dollars (USD). The BiPAP machine, BiPAP mask and BiPAP accessories should be covered by medical policy. It is also feasible to buy your own BiPAP machine. If that’s not feasible, you also have the option to lease a BiPAP from a medical care company through an agreement with which you end up owning the machine. Your care giver or neurologist should be your first point of contact if you think you may benefit from a BiPAP machine.
